The Dark Lords' Legacy
by Jenn0509
Summary: Sequel to The Dark Lords' Pawn. After a rash of murdered witches and wizards, the Ministry is on high alert. The panic is a familiar one, but the cause is much different. These members of the Wizarding World have been killed by muggles. The four Potter children are in more danger than anyone could have thought. Things never happen the same way twice. Harry/OC Ginny/Tom Riddle OC/OC
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to the Dark Lords' Legacy! I'd love to know what you guys think!

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To the average London subway goer, the pair sitting next to the door of Blue line car 3 in the middle of the night looked like any other pair of siblings. The oldest was a girl in her late teens, wearing an ill fitting brown bomber jacket over an olive colored pajama set. Her brother was wearing jeans and a red and gold sweater with the letter 'A' emblazoned on it. He was staring straight ahead, his hazel eyes unblinking, his hands were shaking over his lap, and he was whispering under his breath.

The girl put her head on his shoulder, "Al, what's got you so worked up? We haven't done this in years, and you've always had Da or Teddy come with us before."

His hand's ceased their movement as he responded tersely, "I just wanted you."

"That's cool." Remy Potter said quickly, not wanting to add to whatever was stressing her baby brother. Albus's hands resumed their strange pantomime, and she curled up against his firm side, "Well, I'm going to try to get some sleep. Wake me when you're ready to get off."

"People are not supposed to sleep on the subway." He commented, his hand's stilling.

She giggled, which brought a frown to his face, "I know that, but people _are_ supposed to sleep at night. I'm compromising, Albus."

His face relaxed slowly as his mind processed her words. He said, "splendid", before his hands went back to their work.

She smiled, closing her hazel eyes, "Oh, Albus."

Several train stops later, and he stopped his hands again, "Rem, do you think I'm a freak?" His own hazel eyes looked vulnerable.

She sat up, frowning at him, "Of course not."

"Aren't I though?" He said, and began furiously working his hands over his lap.

Remy grabbed his hands in her own, forcing him to look at her, "Al, what happened?"

He stared at their entwined hands, mumbling, "People called me that at Hogwarts yesterday."

"Who?" Remy demanded.

"Just some of Lily's friends." He said dismissively.

"Was she there?" He didn't answer, "She was, wasn't she?" Remy fumed. "I'm going to hex the snot out of that brat."

"She didn't call me a freak." Albus said weakly.

"Did she tell them to stop?" His older sister countered. His silence was all the answer she needed, "She's unbelievable!"

"Don't tell Mum or Da." He said softly.

Remy sighed, forcing herself to calm down, releasing his hands. "Why not?"

His hands sat on his thighs, and he hung his head. "I don't want them to hurt at Lily. It's not her fault I'm not normal, and I shouldn't have shown anger to them for teasing her."

"Teasing her?" Remy wanted to laugh, but knew it would just confuse him, "Al, they were teasing her first?" He nodded, "You protected her?"

"She's my little sister. I'm supposed to do that. Right?" His uncertainty was endearing.

He was always like that though. Albus Severus Potter had Aspergers, but was very high functioning. He would vehemently avoid eye contact, had a lot of trouble picking up social cues, was unflinchingly literal, and even when not in a lab, his hands moved like he was mixing a potion if he was nervous or even just bored. He was a fabulous potion maker, and followed rules strictly.

All of which made him Severus Snape's favorite student.

Remy hugged him, not surprised when he made no move to return the affection, "Yes, Al, you're supposed to protect Lily just like I protect you."

"Because I'm younger." He said, standing.

Remy gazed at her younger brother proudly. He'd come a long way in his sixteen years of life. He was still socially awkward, but he didn't shy away from physical contact or conversation anymore. Sure, he would prefer if people didn't touch him and only talked about potions, but he could manage.

They exited the subway at the stop closest to their home, being briefly detained by one of Remy's fellow seventh years, Grace Aaron. The halfblooded girl had acted like she hadn't ever had any of the three classes she'd shared with Remy over the years, doing the gawky and cliche, "Holy crow! You're Remy Potter." Remy had quickly shaken the girl off, encouraging her to return to her family seated on the far end of the car, and let Albus lead the way home however he wanted.

Their mother was sitting on the porch of Number 12 Grimmauld Place waiting for them when they arrived home two hours later. The relief on her face when she saw them was evident. Miranda Potter wrapped an arm around both of her children, "You've only been home from school for a day and you're already worrying me half to death. Didn't even bother leaving a note. Where have you been?" She tried to sound angry, but it didn't work. She was too glad to see them home safe. Letting Remy go, she embraced Albus more fully.

Their mother was the only person Albus ever returned hugs to, his reasoning being that hearing her heartbeat calmed him. "I did leave a note. It's in my journal."

Miranda and Remy shared similar wry expressions, "Albus, remember when you write a note, you're supposed to put it where your father or I can see it. You two scared me."

"Sorry, Mum. Al woke me up cause he couldn't sleep. We were riding the subway." Remy supplied, walking up the steps in front of her mother and brother.

"Of course you were. Just be glad you're father's working tonight." Miranda said, ushering the two inside, grabbing Remy's arm just inside the door, letting Albus move on back to bed, "Remy, what was wrong with him?"

Remy bumped her mother's hip with her own. "He's fine, Mum. Just a school issue. But we're home for the holidays now, so it doesn't matter. Don't worry about him. He's sixteen now, and James and I always keep an eye out for him."

"I know, Remy. You two are wonderful with him. I've never really worried about him until now. You and James won't be there next year." She sighed, "I guess I'm just finally realizing that you're growing up." Miranda cursed softly, "When did I get so blasted old?"

Remy chortled, slapping a hand over her own mouth when she realized how loud she had been, hoping she hadn't woken her fourteen year old sister or her twin. "Mum, you're about to be ninety. You passed old a long time ago!"

The door opened behind them, and Harry came in with a bright smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I think you're mother looks phenomenal for her age." He kissed his wife, causing Remy to scrunch her nose up.

"Ugh, you two are gross." She teased.

Her father narrowed his eyes at her, "Not that I don't love you or anything, but shouldn't you be in bed?"

Remy rolled her hazel eyes, "Da, I'm eighteen. You can't really set my bedtime anymore. Besides, Albus couldn't sleep so he woke me up to go subway riding. I'm off to bed now!" She kissed both her parents on the cheek before running upstairs.

Harry sighed, the smile falling off his face, "Randa, we need to keep a closer eye on the kids for the next few days. I don't want them going too far away from the house. They aren't to get on the subway again without someone with them."

"Why?" She asked, wrapping herself in his arms.

He kissed her neck softly, breathing in the calming scent that always clung to Miranda's skin, "Two hours ago, the entire Aaron family was murdered on their train home."

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Let me know what you think!

-Jenn


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Thanks so much for the amazing reviews! You guys brought the reviews, so I brought the next chapter!

Enjoy, and Review!

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The next morning Remy woke to being thrown off her bed. As she shrieked in indignation, her twin brother loomed over her laughing hysterically. "Rise and shine sleepy head. Da already had to go back to the Ministry, and Mum's almost done with breakfast."

Glaring at James, Remy chucked her pillow off her bed at him, "Sod off." Her mood was steadily sinking because she was exhausted and he was bright eyed.

He rolled his eyes, tossing her pillow bak to her, "What's got you so testy?"

"Albus took me with him on a train ride last night. You slept through me screaming when I rolled over and he was standing over me, staring." She said, picking herself up off the ground and grudgingly making her bed.

James leaned against the wall, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops on his pants. "How'd I sleep through that?"

"You sleep like you're dead, James. Always have." She straightened and looked over at his bed. "Why is it impossible for you to make your bed?"

He shrugged, "Because you make it for me."

She growled at him, ducking into the walk in closet they shared so she could change clothes, "Why do we still share a room here?"

"Because Mum wants to keep the guest rooms open." They only lived in Grimmauld Place over the winter holidays, so it was usually hardly an inconvenience to either of them. "Plus, these days, Rem, you'd murder Lily if you shared a room with her." He said seriously, flicking his wand at his bed, sending the comforter to lie smoothly across it. "Come on before Albus takes all of the toast."

Their younger brother had a great ardor for toast with marmalade, and would eat all of it on the table if the rest of the family didn't grab what they wanted first. He'd only eat other breakfast things if their mother put them on his plate for him.

When they got downstairs and, as James had feared, Albus had already piled his plate high with toast and was rifling around the bottles on the table for the marmalade. Their mother was sitting in her chair at the table nibbling on her own piece of toast with a small smile on her face. They joined her, Remy daring to try to slip a piece off Albus' plate only to insigne a glare from him, "It's rude to take things off others plates."

Remy giggled, but the voice of her sister made the noise die in her throat, "Well, maybe if you weren't such a hog, people wouldn't need to take things off your plate."

"Lily!" Miranda yelled, putting her food down. "That's uncalled for."

Her dark auburn hair was pulled into a sweet low ponytail, but the expression on the youngest Potter's pale face was anything but sweet. "No it's not. He doesn't ever think about anyone but himself."

Remy suddenly lost her appetite, her mood tanking. Without a word, she grabbed her well loved satchel, her favorite jacket, the bomber from her father that she had worn the night before on the subway, and headed out the door. As it shut behind her, she could still hear the raised voices of her mother and sister.

Remy loved Lily, she really did, but recently, the younger girl had become unbearably insensitive. Remy assumed that it was because she was going through her teenaged identity crisis at the tender age of fourteen, but Albus had become her favorite target. It wasn't his fault that he was different from everyone else, and before the school year had started, Lily had seemed to be on board with the environment that usually permeated any Potter residence. She wasn't anymore. Lily had left all of her old friends like Hugo Weasley in the dust and joined a new 'hipper' crowd. In Remy's mind, they were a bunch of pigheaded bullies that had a tendency to steal Butterbeer from private stores.

That wasn't like the Lily that everyone knew and loved. The Lily that Remy had watched grow up was unflinchingly kind, a gentle girl who adored the family cat, Merlin, almost as much as Albus did, and had always been the first to curl up in their mother's lap or, when they were at Hogwarts, next to the fire in the Gryffindor common room on a quiet evening. Now she hardly spent anytime in either place.

Even though she always had their mother's pale complexion and their father's green eyes, Lily was almost unrecognizable.

Remy was tired of it. Sure, she was angry at Lily for becoming such a foul person, but she blamed herself. She was supposed to keep things like that from happening to her baby sister. Deep down, she felt that she had failed Lily terribly.

She heard her mother call her name from behind her, but simply waved a hand back in recognition before apperating away. She couldn't bare to see the hurt look that would undoubtably have settled onto her mother's beautiful face.

Why she always chose to go to the London Eye, she didn't know. It just felt like the place to go. She supposed she just wanted to get lost in the crowd, to put her restless thoughts out of her mind. She helped several of the twenty four other passengers find their next tourist location while on the thirty minute ride, and felt significantly calmer. Once on the ground, she started walking.

Albus had the whirring hum of the subway, and she had the soaring view of the Eye. Even though she had only resided in it for a few weeks each year for the last seven, London always felt like home. She knew every back alleyway better then anyone, and reveled in the anonymity the beautiful city cast over her. She wasn't the great Remy Potter, daughter to the majestic Harry Potter when she was alone walking through the streets of London. To these people, she was just another girl.

Or so she had always told herself.

Remy didn't notice the group of men that had started following her. She wasn't her parents or her aunts and uncles, always sleeping with one eye open and one hand on their wands.

Griffin Aldrich did see them. Five men were following a young woman who appeared to be lost in her own head. I was obvious to Griffin why they would be following her, not only was she alone, but she was also effortlessly beautiful. Long dark hair fell in waves over her shoulders and glinted in the sun. Like a fairytale princess, she was one of those people that your eyes were drawn to.

As the men got closer, Griffin picked up his pace, ready to rescue the poor oblivious girl. Only she didn't seem to need him to. The instant one of the men touched her shoulders, she spun around, and slammed her fist into his face. He howled in pain, clutching his nose, and she took the chance to start running.

The men followed, angered by her assault on their friend. Fortunately, she had bolted in Griffin's direction, and he grabbed her around the waist as she came up on him. Covering her mouth, he half carried half dragged her into an alley, and hissed. "Shh."

They came down the street, closer to the alleyway. "Come on, sweet thing. Don't be afraid." One called in a distinctly American accent.

Another yelled. "We saw you on the train last night."

"Same mud brown coat. It's big, your boyfriend's?" Mocked one.

When one of the men appeared in the mouth of the alleyway that Griffin and Remy were crouched in, Griffin whispered only a single word into her ear as he positioned himself in front of her, "Run."

And she did, around a corner, but when she saw no one in the area, she apperated herself to the rooftop of one of the buildings overlooking the alleyway. Her mysterious savior seemed to be holding his own with the four men, but when the one she had hit came to join the fray, he took her man by surprise.

It took one solid punch to the head before the man who had saved her was on the ground. The men kicked him a few times before running around the corner. She apperated to the downed man's side. "Oh God." She hissed, taking in his innjuries. He had a gash on his cheekbone, and his jaw, while covered in a very distracting stubble, looked broken. It took her about three seconds to make the decision to help him the only way she could. "Episkey."

He groaned when his jawbone knitted itself back together, but he remained unconscious. She could only blame her next move on the impulsivity she had inherited from both parents. She dragged the unconscious man half into her lap and apperated him to the loft her Uncle Draco had in the city but never used.

With her guest still unconscious, she went about the loft searching for the first aid kit. It was well stocked, of course, Draco Malfoy even paid for the refrigerator to be stocked at all times just incase he got the wild idea to spend a night in the city.

Remy prodded the man gently, cleaning and putting butterfly bandages on his cheek wound before finally taking a chance to really look at him. He looked young, perhaps only in his early twenties, his face was handsome, the stubble drawing her attention. She ran a finger down the side of his jaw, and then noticed the scars on the side of his head, hidden slightly by his short dirty blonde hair.

Her curiosity overwhelming her better sense, she pulled his wallet out of the pocket in his jacket. There was a travel visa, a hand full of Euros on the inside, and she flipped it over to see his ID. It was an American driver's license, and when she read his name, she nearly choked. Griffin Dorian Aldrich. "What's so funny?"

She hadn't noticed him stir, and squeaked in surprise, his wallet falling back onto his chest, "I'm sorry!"

He smiled lazily, blue eyes looking her over, "It's okay, Princess, you were just curious." He reached up and touched his bandaged cheek. "You fixed me up. Thank you."

For some reason, his steady gaze brought a blush to her cheeks, "It's the least I could do. You saved me from those men. Thank you for helping me."

He winced, his head pounding. "Some help I am. I got knocked out because I'm out of practice." He should've known better than to take all of those men on. Since coming back from the war a year ago, he hadn't kept up with all of the army exercises. He was still fit, but nowhere near where he had been then.

He was actually just lucky that his act of chivalry hadn't killed him. An IED had gone off near his convoy and some shrapnel had caught him. From the explosion, he had been rendered almost completely deaf in his left ear. That alone would have been enough to warrant his medical discharge, but it was the tiny piece of shrapnel buried in his skull that had really done him in. It was the fuse for the time bomb that was his body. If the shard moved too far in the right direction, it would kill him. Instantly.

Remy handed him a bottle of water, "You still gave me the chance to get away."

"So, Princess, I know you know my name. Would you mind telling me yours?" He still couldn't take his eyes off her. His militarily trained instincts were demanding that he survey the room for any threats, but her face was so much more interesting. Up close, she was just as pretty as he had originally assumed.

"Remy." She said, just above a whisper in her lilting British accent, and he was glad that she was on his good side.

He sat up slowly, leaning against the sofa he had been laid in front of, and held out a hand to her, "Nice to meet you, Remy."

"Same to you, Griffin." She giggled a little, resisting the urge to add a -dor to his name.

"You never did answer my question. What could possibly be that amusing about my name?" He narrowed his eyes teasingly at her, taking a swig from the bottle, and looking around the room. Everything was very modern, the chandelier was crystal, and he spotted a painted black oak door to his left behind the sofa. He highly doubted that Remy owned it, but that wasn't any of his business. From his position on the white floor, however, he could see a framed picture on the table next to the sofa with Remy holding a blonde haired girl, who looked about five, in her lap on a porch swing. The script written in a neat hand under the photo read, 'Remy & Eleanor Summer 2016'.

When Remy shrugged, drawing his attention back to her, and he could tell before she opened her mouth that what she was about to tell him was going to be a lie, "Nothing. Just a family inside joke. Silly really. So what do I owe your well timed London visit to?"

"I'm visiting my aunt. Only she's at work today, and left me to sightsee on my own. I was hopelessly lost when I came up on you and your fan club." He said, humor making his blue eyes shine.

"I could show you around. If you'd like me to that is." Remy said, biting her lip.

Griffin laughed, "I'd be grateful for a guide. I'm afraid the next time I go out I'll stumble upon something far worse."

She raised an eyebrow, "You could. London can be a scary place. You caught me at a bad time. I'm usually super vigilant. I should have been paying more attention. I'm trying really hard not to be super embarrassed."

He laughed, a deep full baritone, "Princess, I'm the one who should be embarrassed. I got knocked on my ass."

She joined his laughter, putting a hand on his arm, "I'll give you a seven for the landing."

Griffin didn't get the chance to do more than marvel at the effect her hand on his arm had on him before the door to the loft swung open, and a harsh male British voice rang through the open living room, "Remy Elizabeth Potter, what in the bloody remains of Merlin's beard are you doing here?"

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Like it? Like Griffin?

I will explain who little Eleanor is soon, but feel free to guess!

-Jenn


	3. Chapter 3

So sorry for the delay! I've been getting college stuff like crazy, and had to take a week off writing to study for the Algebra CLEP test! (Which I passed with flying colors!)

Anyway, thank you all so much for the reviews! Keep it up!

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When Draco Malfoy walked into his London flat looking for his errant niece, the last thing he expected to see was her sitting on the floor in front of his snow white Chamberlin sofa with her hands all over a man.

Remy shot to her feet, knocking something off her lap and onto the floor, "Uncle Dray!"

She tried a sweet smile, but Draco scowled at her, "Don't you dare 'Uncle Dray' me. What's going on here?"

Griffin stood up slowly, his body aching all over, reminding him of his shortcomings. "Well, sir. I got mugged. Remy scraped me off the sidewalk and brought me here. She's patched me up nicely. I'll go now."

"You don't have to go!" Remy urged, looking pleadingly at her uncle.

Draco shook his head, "No, Remy. He needs to leave." They stared each other down before he added a stern, "Now."

She sighed, her uncle rarely took that sort of tone with her, so she relented. Something had him upset, and it couldn't be good. "Alright. Come on, Griffin, I'll show you out."

A perfectly manicured eye jerked up, "Griffin?"

Said man laughed nervously, "Yeah, she thought my name was pretty hilarious too."

"It is!" Remy cried defensively, throwing her hands in the air.

"Settle down, Princess." Griffin said, picking up his bag, wincing as the muscle in his shoulder protested. Remy smiled at him, led him out the door, down a hall, and to a very reflective elevator. "This place is spotless." Griffin commented in awe.

Remy giggled, "My uncle prefers the finer things in life. The whole family teases him about it. The house he and my aunt live in makes this place look shabby."

"He's married?" Remy's uncle hadn't struck Griffin as the marrying type.

A smile lit up Remy's face, "Yeah, his wife Gabrielle is great. They have a six year old named Eleanor. Everyone calls her Ella though." She sighed, "He's usually pretty easy going. I don't know what's got him so worked up."

"Well, you did have a strange man in his house alone with you. That's bound to make him unhappy. I might have been stealing your virtue." He said with a smile.

She scoffed, "Did you just say virtue? Just how old are you? Ninety seven?"

"Hardly, I'm twenty four." Griffin said. He took a sideways glance at her, studying her young face, "Just how old are you anyway?"

"Eighteen." Remy replied softly, her face flushing. She was aware that to some people, the attraction she felt towards Griffin was wrong because he was six years older, and she hoped desperately that he wasn't one of them. She had never wanted to get to know someone more than she wanted to know Griffin, "I'm in London with my family for the next few weeks on Holiday. I go back to school for my final term the second week of January." She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, "I'd like to show you about while we're both in the city."

Griffin let out a small curse, the look on her face was heartbreaking. He smiled gently, "You have better things to do on your winter break then showing an old man like me around London, don't you?"

"Trust me, if you knew how much older my mother is than my father you wouldn't even be worried." She murmured. "Unless you don't want to. If you don't, that's totally okay."

"I would love for you to show me around London. My only concern is that I'll be keeping you from your family and friends. Already, I don't think your uncle cares too much for me." He said wryly.

"I'm sure his temper had nothing to do with you!" Remy chortled, delighted that her age hadn't seemed to bother him. "Besides, how else am I going to learn about how you got those scars?"

Griffin laughed, pulling his coat closed and zipping it, "You're a strange one, aren't you?"

"You have no idea." She said softly, the doorman swinging the exterior door open for them. Once outside on the street, Remy pulled a pen and a slip of paper from her bag and scribbled an address on it. She fully realized that what she was about to do was incredibly stupid, "If you want, stop by, my cousins and I hang out here a lot on our holidays. Usually late afternoon, fourish. Just go in and ask for me."

He read the name above the neatly scrawled address and raised an eyebrow, "The Broom Cupboard?"

She shrugged, "You just said I was strange, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did, but still, isn't that a weird name?" He asked.

Remy flashed a bright smile, waving down a cabbie, "Griffin, with me, I think you'll find weird to be a relative term. See you around."

Griffin put a hand on the door to a cab. "Yeah, see you." He turned back to look at Remy, but she was gone. Funny, he hadn't heard the building door open.

Apperating upstairs, Remy went to stand next to her uncle next to his big glass window. "How much trouble am I in?"

They watched the cab with Griffin in it drive off before Draco responded to his niece, "Not too much. You're parents were worried about you."

Remy worried her lower lip with her teeth, "Did you..."

"Yes, I've let them know you're here. I also told them how you helped the muggle boy who kept you from getting mugged. They're proud of you." He finally looked at her, "I'm proud of you too. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pleased that you brought him to my flat without letting me know."

"Oh, Draco, give it a rest already. They had clothes on." Gabrielle came out of the kitchen, her silver blonde hair flowing like silk over her shoulders.

A smile instantly showed itself on Draco's face, "I know they did, but still!"

The woman smiled, giving Remy a tight hug, "Hello, sweetheart."

"Hi, Aunt Gabby." Remy replied. "Where's Ella?"

"She's at the Burrow. My sister offered to watch her while Dray and I came here looking for you. She's so excited to see you again. We need to go to the Burrow." Gabrielle explained, zipping up Remy's coat, "You'll catch your death going out there without your coat."

Draco looped his arm around his young wife's waist, "Gabby, she's eighteen, not our six year old."

Gabrielle pulled away from him, snapping. "I know that, Draco. I'll be at the Burrow." She said, stomping back to the kitchen leaving a bemused Remy to stare at her uncle.

He grimaced, "She's been testy these last few weeks. I haven't got a clue what's up."

"My mother would say you've probably been a prat." Remy said dryly.

Draco growled and grabbed her arm, "Let's just get to the Burrow."

She was still laughing when they apperated into the Burrow. "Remy!" Her mother yelled, tackling her as soon as the world stopped spinning.

"Mum?" Remy said in confusion.

"You need to stop running off like that!" Miranda cried, pressing Remy's head against her shoulder, "Draco, thank you so much for finding her."

"Mum, I wasn't lost. I was out taking a walk. I'm just fine." Remy pulled out of her mother's embrace, "Besides, Mum, I'm eighteen. You don't need to worry about me."

Miranda looked hurt, but an arm slung over her shoulder, "Oh, Mum, don't make faces like that, you'll get wrinkles!"

Miranda ensnared her oldest son in her arms before he could squirm away. "James, you better watch yourself." She said in a mocking stern voice, standing on her tiptoes to smack a kiss to his forehead. "And stop growing, you're getting too blasted tall."

When Remy found her father sitting on a sofa amongst the crowd of people she was instantly at his side, "Missed you this morning."

He smiled patting the spot on the sofa next to him, "I tried to tell you bye, but you were sleeping harder than James usually does. I decided I'd let you sleep. There have to be some Potters that are well rested." Harry sighed, throwing his head back, "You should have stayed in the house when Lily was acting up."

"I know, but I met someone." Remy squeaked, pulling her knees to her chest and putting her head on his shoulder.

Harry put his arm around her shoulders, "I heard. A muggle. Not sure how I feel about that, but I also heard about the mugging."

Remy groaned, "Da, I was just being careless. I'm usually not so distracted, but Lily set me off this morning."

"You should always be aware of your surroundings. I've told you that countless times." He sounded disappointed, and he had a reason to be. He had always demanded that his children be able to protect themselves, and Remy's near miss worried him.

"I know. It won't happen again." She said confidently.

Harry nodded emphatically, "You're right. For the rest of your holiday, I don't want you going anywhere without James."

Remy's head jerked up, "What?"

"You heard me. James is your new sidekick. If either of you want to go someplace away from the family, the other goes with them." Harry was hardly ever so stern towards his children, but the tone of his voice told Remy not to put up a fight. She wouldn't win.

"Okay." She said softly, putting her feet back on the floor.

"Another thing, Remy." Harry said when she stood up.

"Yes?" She said, looking down at him.

He smiled softly, "Don't be so hard on Lily. She's scared."

Remy's eyebrows jerked together, "Scared? Of what?"

"Being alone." He said honestly, "She's always had you and James looking after her, and she's terrified that you two are leaving Hogwarts after this year. Severus and Minerva always warned me that she spent too much time with you two and your friends. I hadn't thought anything of it, but now I wish I'd done something. She's never had to make friends, or really figure out her own spot in any social ranking. Unfortunately, she seems to have gotten it into her head that she has to be a brat to make friends."

"What should I do?" Remy asked.

"Make yourself scarce tomorrow night. Your mother and I are going to speak with her. Maybe you and the boys could go out with some of your friends." He suggested.

The next night, Remy was smushed in a booth between James and Teddy. Such a position wouldn't have normally bothered her, but both boys had their tongues down girl's throats. Remy tried to ignore Victorie's giggles and stared at her little brother who was sitting happily behind the bar with Seamus, the bartender and owner of The Broom Cupboard. Seamus had been in the same Gryffindor class as her father, and had a knack for blowing things up. Needless to say, Remy was keeping an eye on any and all sources of ignition anywhere near the man showing Albus how to mix drinks. The Broom Cupboard was obviously geared to a magical clientele, and had recently become very popular with the younger crowd due to it's addition of a muggle wing. It allowed young witches and wizards to socialize with muggles in a safe environment. All employees in the pub were magical, and kept a close eye on repeat muggle customers.

They'd been in the bar for an hour or so when the busty blonde waitress, Allison, came up to her, "Remy, there's a muggle bloke looking for you. I told him I'd fetch you." The perpetually flirty waitress's voice lowered, "He's a looker. If you don't want him, I do!"

"Thank you, Allison, now shove off." Remy said coldly, causing the waitress to scurry off with a squeak. "James, stop impersonating a dementor and let me out." Remy said, tapping her twin on the shoulder. He didn't even seem to hear her so she tried Teddy, who smiled good naturedly and stood with a still giggling Victorie in his arms.

"Good luck, little sister!" Teddy called across the pub, his hair turning pink for an instant.

"Thanks, Teddy!" Remy yelled back, allowing a smile to spread across her face in anticipation of seeing Griffin. She had half expected to never see her muggle again.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it! Leaving on a five day vacation with limited internet, so I should have plenty of writing time!

Review please!

-Jenn


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the late update, but I've been super busy recently! Last week was my first week of college!

This chapter is in two parts, but I'll just let you guys look at them and stop yammering!

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**~_25 Years Ago:_**

"Remember to always keep Galpalott's Third Law in mind when..."

"Cecily, I need to talk to you." A soft voice interjected from the door of the class room.

Professor Carmichael's eyes shot to the source of the voice, her lecture quickly forgotten. "Greta?" Her young sister was standing in the doorway, her skin pallid. She turned back to her students, "Class dismissed. Read chapter eighteen for our next session." Cecily ushered Greta to her office. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Greta stared at the photo of their parents on Cecily's desk, "I didn't know I was coming."

Cecily lowered her harsh exterior, "Sweet Greta, what's got you so upset?"

"I don't know what to do." Greta whispered, grasping her older sister around the waist.

"What happened?" Cecily asked, forcing her sister to sit on her chaise.

Her sister's response was soft, "I'm pregnant."

Cecily withdrew herself fully from her sister's grasp, standing back up, "Pregnant?" She said sharply, pacing, "With _his_ child?" Greta nodded. "What are you going to do?"

Greta's blue eyes stared up at her, "I don't know! I came to see you for your advice."

Cecily clenched her teeth, "I gave you my advice when you began this dreadful affair two years ago. You didn't listen to a word I said. I told you to be careful!"

"I'm so sorry Cecily." Greta said, pulling a decorative pillow into her lap.

"Don't apologize to me, you little bint." Cecily snapped.

A sob wrenched from Greta's small body, "Please, Cecily, you're the only one I've got."

Cecily fought to control her frustration, "Why don't you go to your john and see what he has to say? You do realize that his son is here at Hogwarts now, don't you?"

"I do!" Greta sobbed, "But he'd make me get rid of the baby, or kill us both."

Cecily sighed, "Greta, what business do you have raising a child? You're twenty five."

Greta put a hand on her stomach, "I know I've no business raising a child, but I love it so much already." A smile flitted across her splotchy face, "This baby is a part of me."

Suddenly, her sister's distress made sense, "A part of it's father too. You love _him_."

Greta's eyes shot up, "How did you know?"

Cecily sat next to her again, remembering how she had once been in a very similar situation with _him_, "The look in your eyes, Greta. Have you told _him_?"

"Of course not! He'd never leave his wife for me, and I...was always too afraid to lose him." Greta confessed before raising up her own sigh, "I guess it's over now anyway. I was always nothing more than his personal pureblood whore."

"I tried to warn you." Cecily said softly, pulling Greta's tear damp hair from her face, and spelling it into a rope at the back of her neck. "You look too much like his wife for his attentions to have been genuine." It was true, with her light eyes, thin body, and long, pale hair, Greta could pass as _his_ wife years younger. Cecily had too, ten years ago.

"I'm so stupid." Greta bemoaned, pressing her forehead against her sister's shoulder.

Cecily kissed the top of her blond head and wrapped her arms around Greta like she had in the past. Twelve years older than Greta, Cecily had pretty much raised her when their parent's had died when Greta was five. In many ways, she felt more parent than sibling to the wayward young woman, but she definitely felt Greta's pain as a parent would, "You aren't stupid." She whispered, rocking slightly, "You fell in love, Greta. Love makes people do stupid things sometimes, but loving does not make you stupid."

"I feel stupid." Was the feeble and muffled response.

"Well, you aren't. You need to figure out what to do about that baby, though. I don't think you'll keep _him_ in the dark for long. _He _is a very intelligent man after all." Cecily wanted to kill the man for hurting her sister. If it weren't for the little boy that called the man father, he would already be dead, but she could never orphan a child.

Greta sat up a little, her face solemn, "I won't tell him, not about the baby. He would never do any kind of right by it. I will, however, tell him I'm going to tell his wife about us. He'd pay Galleons for me to disappear before that ever happens."

Cecily narrowed her eyes, her lips drawing into a tight line, "Extortion?"

The corner of Greta's mouth quirked up, "I won't be able to make it on my own without money, and he's got more than any one person could use in ten lifetimes."

Cecily eyed the diamond bracelet hanging from her sister's wrist, the silver watch dangling by a chain from her satchel, and the ruby drop necklace on her neck. No doubt all gifts from _him_. "Where will you go?" Cecily asked her.

Greta shrugged, wiping her face, "America probably. Somewhere he would never go." She looked at her big sister, the woman who had raised her, "You'll visit, won't you?"

Cecily smiled, embracing her sister again, "Yes, Greta, I'll visit. Any time you'll have me."

* * *

At first, Griffin was skeptical about the address Remy had given him. It took him forever to find it, and when he did, he was bombarded by a young blond woman.

"I'm Allison, welcome to The Broom Cupboard. See something you like?" She said, batting thick fake eyelashes at him.

He shifted awkwardly, "I'm looking for a girl named Remy."

The waitress rolled her eyes, "Ugh, isn't everyone always looking for Remy Potter?"

"Is she here?" He asked, looking at the other inhabitants of the bar.

Another eye roll, and she looked down at her poorly painted fingernails. "I really don't get the big deal about her. I mean I know her daddy is impressive, but she's not that pretty. Her hair is brown, that's so boring." Griffin cleared his throat and her dull blue green eyes shot back up to his face, "Sorry. She's in the back. I'll go get her."

"Great." He said, giving her a tight smile.

She disappeared through a door, and Remy came through it, a boy behind her. "Griffin!"

"Hey, I didn't think you'd actually come." She said, smiling brightly.

"I didn't either." He gestured to the lanky boy behind her, "Who's your friend?"

She spun around, "Albus!"

The boy didn't look up at her, but cringed, "Mum said I'm supposed to stay with you."

Remy relaxed, giving a gentle sigh, and tenderly brushing dark hair out of the boy's face, "Al, I didn't mean to startle you. You just startled me, that's all. All good?"

His head bobbed, and he looked up at Griffin. Although his eyes never met Griffin's directly, Griffin could tell that he was looking him over, "Is this your new friend?"

"Albus, this is Griffin. Griffin, this is my little brother Albus." She said with a smile.

Griffin held out a hand, but Albus stared at it before looking up at Remy, "Do I have to?"

She made a face, "Yes, Al, don't be rude." Albus took Griffin's hand, surprising the man with the strength of his grip. Remy touched her brother on the arm, "Why don't you go sit by the bar. Maybe Helena will show you some drinks like Mr. Finnegan was!" As the teenager trotted off, Remy smiled at Griffin, "Sorry about that. He has Aspergers."

Griffin shrugged, "I figured, he seems to be doing really well though."

Remy looked after her little brother proudly before leading Griffin to a booth, "He is."

Griffin couldn't help but smile at the expression on her face, "You're proud of him."

She blushed, "Yeah, I am. He's my baby brother. I've been there his whole life, and knowing that he's got the skills to have his own life is so great. He's even got a crush!"

"Well, he is a good looking kid. I think he takes after his sister." Griffin said, amazed by the way the color of Remy's blush traveled across her skin.

"He and I both got our Mum's eyes, but the other two have our Da's green ones. Albus looks like our Da, though not quite as closely as James does." Remy stopped, "Sorry."

Griffin laughed, scratching at the butterfly bandages still on his cheek. "No, the rambling's cute. But...just how many brothers do you have?"

"I've got my older brother Teddy, my twin James, and then Albus. Lilly's the youngest." Remy said, her mind wandering back to Grimmauld Place and Lilly.

"That's quite the brood." Griffin commented, "I'm my Mom's pride and joy. Gretel Aldrich, my mother, moved to the U.S. from London where she raised me on her own."

Remy smiled softly, "Even from our brief encounters, I think she did a splendid job."

He shrugged, "She wasn't too happy when I joined the Army."

"That's how you got the scars." Remy inferred, her hazel eyes taking in the network of small white scars that peeked out from under the hair line on the left side of his neck. They were sort of beautiful, but knowing that he had gotten them in a war made Remy's skin crawl. She had seen more than her share of war wounds.

When Remy realized she was staring, she looked away, blushing. Griffin chuckled, reaching across the table to gently tilting her chin back to look at him, "Don't be embarrassed, Princess. It's alright to look."

Their eyes locked, and Remy felt like she couldn't breath. One of the waitresses saw the look on Remy's face and came over, "Hullo, Remy-love, what can I get for you?"

Remy blinked at her friend, "Oh, hello, Rosie. I didn't see you around here earlier."

Rosalyn Finnegan giggled, seeing the blush on Remy's cheeks, "It's alright, Rem. I don't think you've seen anyone since you came in here." She smiled at Griffin, "And who might you be? It's not often Remy brings friends by."

Griffin shook her hand, "I'm Griffin. Remy didn't tell me everyone here knew each other."

"Pleasure to meet you, Griffin." Rosalyn arched an eyebrow at Remy, figuring out that he was a muggle, "We're a pretty tight-knit community. My father owns this fine establishment, and he went to school with Remy's father."

"How's your mum?" Remy asked. Rosmerta was still recovering from a frightening illness she had been subjected to over the summer, and the whole situation was obviously taking it's toll on Rosalyn. Her green eyes lacked their familiar sparkle.

Rosalyn made a face, "Da and I keep telling her to slow down, but she's stubborn. I spend most of my time here because she won't let me near the Three Broomsticks for too long. Sometimes I think she's afraid I'll try to take over. It's total barmy, but Da's glad for the help. Business here in London's been picking up."

Remy gave a wistful smile, "That's good, right?

A weak smile flitted across Rosalyn's face, "It is. But Mum worries us, that inn has been her life since she bought it at sixteen. Never mind me though, what can I get you two?"

Remy grinned at Griffin, "Two Butterbeers." Rosalyn nodded and went to get the drinks.

At twenty years old, curly dark haired Rosalyn had been born in the of the war as the result of a somewhat illicit affair between Madame Rosmerta and the much younger Seamus Finnegan. To muggles the relationship was taboo, but with the long wizarding life span, it wasn't much of news...except for the fact that Seamus may or may not have still been in school when Rosalyn was conceived. All that most people took to heart was the fact that her parents had joined the many who had married right after the war ended.

After expressing his delight over the delightful drink Remy had ordered him, Griffin sighed, "I don't figure you can take off and show me around, can you?"

Remy eyed her brother, deep in conversation with Rosalyn, "I think we can slip out."

She slipped five sickles into the bill and held out her hand to Griffin, "Let's go."

He took her hand, feeling a shiver go down his spine. She took him to St. Martin's Church and Trafalgar Square before she had to go back to the pub. Before she disappeared again, he took a pen and wrote his cell phone number on the fair skin of the back of her hand. "Call me, Remy." He said, his voice gruff.

"I will." She laughed, "There's still so many things I need to show you!"

Something about her entranced him. Griffin couldn't tell if it was her nervous babbling or the way her every move seemed effortless. He pulled her close, breathing in the scent of her skin. "I've never had such a good time with someone."

She leaned into him, resting her head against his chest, "I feel the same way."

* * *

Clear as mud, right? Hopefully some of you figured out what's going on, but if you don't, just ask!

Remy goes back to school in the next chapter, and things get a little less fluffy. Excited?

Review!

-Jenn


	5. Chapter 5

So this chapter is kinda long, but I don't figure any of you will mind! And it's out in a timely manner too! Shocking! This chapter just sort of all came to me, and I couldn't see any sense in cutting it.

Keep REVIEWING! :)

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Gretel Aldrich was satisfied with the offer in front of her and called her client. "Hello Sandra, I've received the offer, and I think it's definitely something to consider. They want to set up a meeting for this afternoon. Perfect, I'll set it up for an hour from now. See you then."

An hour later, and she was leading her client into one of the office building's meeting rooms. She had been selling high priced real estate since her son was in diapers, and she was good. She had an easy smile, and her charming blue eyes usually left her and her clients with the upper hand. This deal was with a man named Lucas Martin who had made a generous offer on her client's Manhattan loft.

Striding through the hallways in her Louboutin's, Gretel certainly didn't feel like the mother of a twenty four year old. She would call Griffin after her meeting, to talk to him after he got up. Even though he had gone to war, he was still her little boy. Before every one of her deals, she would look at the frame on her desk, to remind herself of how far they both had come.

On the far left side, was the first picture ever taken of her son, when he was small and pink, wrapped up in her arms. The center one was of his high school graduation, him in his black gown smiling, flanked by her and her sister Cecily. The one on the far right was her favorite. Griffin was dressed in his fatigues, his head bandaged, but his arms were wrapped around her. He looked so strong in that one moment, and she couldn't be prouder of him. He'd gone to visit Cecily to rediscover himself postwar, but it seemed the cloud was already lifting from him. The last time she'd talked to him, he had been excited about a British girl he had met. His animated tone had made her so happy.

She went to the lobby and gathered her client, leading Sandra Garmin to the meeting room. Just before they reached the room, Sandra stopped, "Crap, I'm sorry Gretel, but I left the deed in the car. I'll be right back!"

Watching her client teeter off in heels she didn't have the legs for, Gretel sighed, but continued into the room. There was a man seated in the chair farthest from the door, and Gretel habitually started laying out her things across the table, hardly sparing him a glance as she excused her client, "I really am so sorry, but Mrs. Garmin is running a bit late. She'll be here soon, so I thought we could get on with your part of the closing."

"I'm not interested in a loft, Greta." The voice sent a shiver down her spine.

She forced a laugh, still bent over her papers, "I'm sorry, you're mistaken. My name is Gretel, and since this is a business meeting, I'd prefer you refer to me as Ms. Aldrich."

He was suddenly behind her, the tantalizing scent she had tried so hard to forget permeating the air around them. He slid his hands around her waist, "You've aged well, Greta. Much better than Narcissa did. Did you miss me?" She couldn't move, couldn't even speak. "Answer me, Pet."

"Yes." Greta finally answered, wishing that it wasn't the truth.

He kissed the side of her neck, scruff on his face irritating her skin. "Good girl. I'm pleased you used the money I gave you to start a business. I knew you would do well."

"W-what do you want?" She stuttered, trying to gain the courage to run.

He put his hands against the table on either side of her. "What does Lucius Malfoy always want? A beautiful woman, and you, are still very beautiful. I need you." He whispered into her ear, but his own use of his name had jolted her out of her stupor.

Greta stepped away, ducking under his arm, "I won't be your whore again, Lucius. I told you if you ever spoke to me again, I'd tell Narcissa."

He sneered at her, "You don't have much leverage anymore, Narcissa is dead."

Greta hated how she had done Narcissa wrong, "I'm sorry your son lost his mother."

Lucius scoffed, "I don't have a son anymore."

Greta resisted the urge to snap back that he had two, but kept her mouth closed. She wouldn't have Griffin dragged into the magical world. She'd bound his magic for a reason. "I'd say I was sorry he lost a father, but then again, he's probably better off."

He rolled his eyes, "You've become rude. Pity."

Greta stared stone faced at him, "I've already told you, Lucius. I will not be your mindless toy again, so if you'd kindly get out, I'd be very grateful."

"Come now, Greta. I just need help. You're a friend of the Ministry, and I need access to something they have. I need you to get it for me." He was trying to charm her, but she looked away, clutching her wand in the pocket of her jacket. Greta apperated to her office in a crack, grabbing anything that contained an image of Griffin or his name before rushing home, and doing the same, as well as packing a suitcase. Another apperation, and she was back in London.

* * *

To say Griffin was surprised to see his mother sitting on his aunt's sofa when he came down for breakfast was an understatement. "Mom?"

Her face had looked troubled, but when she saw him, she sprung to her feet. "Griffin!" She drew him close, and his arms instinctively returning the embrace.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, squeezing her once before letting her go.

His mother gave a bright smile that didn't reach her eyes, "I got lonely in New York. I missed my favorite son and sister."

His Aunt Cecily shuffled into the room from the kitchen, shoving a cup at her sister, "We're the only son and sister you've got, you nutter." She peered at Griffin, "What're you up and dressed for at this time? You usually don't roll out of bed until tea time."

Griffin beamed, "Remy's coming by today since she goes back to school tomorrow."

Greta's eyes narrowed at her son, "School? You're dating a child?"

He shifted awkwardly, "She's a senior at her school, only one semester left. Besides, she's eighteen, not a child." His mother looked skeptical, but the doorbell interrupted her coming lecture. Griffin ran to the door, feeling like a teenager.

When he opened the door, Remy looked up at him, a beaming smile growing on her face, "Hullo, stranger." They hadn't seen each other for the last few days because her parents had suddenly called a near lock down for all of their kids, and Griffin had missed her terribly. In less than two weeks, she had become something he needed like air.

"Hey, beautiful." He said, and she stepped into his arms. He kissed her hard once, and gathered her against his chest, "I missed you." They'd started kissing soon after their first 'date', and things had progressed since then. The logical part of Griffin insisted that everything was going to quickly, but his heart said other wise.

Remy took a slight step back and nodded, "I missed you too."

"Aren't you going to introduce me to her?" His mother chirped from behind him.

Remy quirked her eyebrows questioningly, but he just took her hand and led her inside, "Mom, this is my girlfriend Remy. Remy, this is my Mom."

Remy flashed one of her dazzling smiles, "It's such a pleasure to meet you."

Greta smiled at Remy, even though her mind was rushing. The girl looked so familiar, and she didn't place it until the girl let her face fall slightly. In that moment, Remy looked just like the Potter boy from the papers. "Griffin, can I speak with you for a moment?"

He shot her an angry look, but nodded after looking at Remy, who had replied to the glance with, "Go on, I'll go see if Ms. Cecily needs help in the kitchen." Remy bounded away to the kitchen she had visited several times before.

"You can't date her." Greta said the instant the kitchen door shut.

Griffin was astounded, "Mom, you can't tell me who I can and cannot date."

She couldn't tell him he couldn't date the girl because she was Harry Potter's daughter, so she went with the only other avenue for attack, "Griffin, she's still in school!"

"Mom, we don't care!" He said, wondering what had upset his usually care free mother.

"I care, Griffin. Her parent's will too. I'm guessing you haven't met them." She knew she was being cruel, but she had no other choice. His contact with the little witch couldn't continue. "She's just a girl, Griffin! You're a man, and she's a girl. That is not alright!"

Griffin lost his temper, "How do you have any right to say that? You've always told me my father was much older than you! At least Remy's not married!" Greta didn't know what to say, so she went upstairs. She would never let her son see her cry.

Griffin felt terrible about what he had said, but didn't follow his mother. Remy came from the kitchen, and he wrapped his arms around her, unprepared for the words that would come out of her mouth when she stepped back, "She's right you know."

He looked at Remy, stunned, "What? Rem, we've talked about this."

Remy looked down at her feet, "I know we have, but it's just hit me. I'm still in school."

"Remy, don't let what my mother said bother you." He implored, trying to catch her eye.

She folded her arms across her chest, taking in a rattling breath, "No, Griffin. I've been thinking about this for a few days now. I like you, a whole bloody lot, but I think it would be best if we don't see each other until I'm out of school." She gave him a weak smile, "You know, we can see where we stand then."

Remy left, even though it nearly killed her, but she knew it was for the best. When she got home, James met her at the door, and she lunged at him, sobbing hysterically. He picked her up like she weighed nothing and carried her upstairs, "Hey, Rem, stop these tears. My sister doesn't cry." He said, sitting on his bed.

"I broke up with him." She garbled out after a long while of crying, and James sighed.

"Oh, Rem." He'd known about Griffin since the night the pair had been in the Broom Cupboard, and had gently advised her to take things slow because he was a muggle.

She wiped up her tears, and curled up against his side, "It's for the best, right?"

"I don't think heart ache is ever for the best." He told his twin honestly, thinking about all the girls he went through to keep himself from getting hurt. He was a coward, and protected his heart like dragons did their eggs, but Remy had never been that way. Past her brusk exterior, she loved fearlessly and effortlessly.

They stayed curled together like that until their mother came up to get them for dinner. Miranda looked at James in panic. James moved his sleeping sister onto the bed, putting a finger to his lips, "Relax, Mum. Boy trouble. She needed a good cry."

Miranda tucked Remy in gently, brushing her daughter's hair out of her face, "She hasn't mentioned anything to me about any boy troubles."

Pulling his mother out of the room, James smiled, "Mum, I hate to break it to you, but Rem and I don't always tell you everything. If you want to know a detailed account of our social lives, ask Al. He'll tell you everything you never wanted to know."

Miranda crinkled her nose and smacked a kiss to James' cheek, "You're getting to be too much like your father, but I love you both anyway."

James made a show of wiping her kiss off, "Mum, you're ruining my reputation."

She gave him a droll look, "Oh yes, how could I forget! My son James, the bad boy!"

He grinned broadly, heading to the loo, "Actually, I prefer Marauder." And that was exactly why James was Severus' least favorite student. Miranda sighed with a wry smile on her face as she went down stairs. Harry nearly slammed into her at the bottom.

He'd been gone for nearly two days, working, and it looked as if he hand't slept or bathed since then. His green eyes, usually so calming, were wide and wild, and she grabbed him by the arms, "Harry! What in Merlin's name is wrong?"

He fell into his wife's arms, burying a hand in her long dark hair to tie her to him, "I figured it out." He said, his voice hardly above a whisper.

"What, Harry?" Miranda asked, trying to contain her panic at seeing him in such a state.

"They're targeting the children." He said, clutching her tighter, "All of the families killed so far, they had muggle born or halfblooded children that went to Hogwarts."

"Families?" Miranda echoed, as far as she knew, only the Aaron's that had been killed.

He nodded against her, "Five of them since the Hols started."

Miranda straightened, "Harry, why wouldn't you tell me? We need to tell the children."

"We can't." He said, releasing her, "We can't tell them, Miranda."

Anger flared in her, "Why the bloody hell not?"

"The Minister doesn't want to alarm anyone. I wasn't supposed to tell you, but I..." He cursed violently, "I don't know how they're doing it, Miranda. There's no reason witches and wizards should be killed by muggle weapons. Grace Aaron was Remy and James' age. They should have been able to protect themselves. Everyone expects me to have an answer because of Voldemort, but I don't have one." He sunk to the floor.

Miranda felt her heart break. Harry was always so strong, but she had always known that most of it was a front. He was strong, but he cared too much to be invulnerable. She lowered herself to sit between him and the wall, wrapping herself around him much like she had all those years ago while trying to ease the pain of his scar. "Harry, it's alright." He started to protest, but she put her hand over his mouth, effectively rendering him speechless. "I'm glad you told me, and the kids will be back safe at school tomorrow. We'll figure this out." Miranda's face was grim as she stood, "I think it's high time I had a nice long talk with Kingsley. I'm getting my bloody wand back."

Harry looked up at her warily, "You aren't going now, are you?"

She scoffed, "Of course not, I'll speak to him tomorrow after we see the children off. Right now, I'm going to serve dinner. Feel free to join when you don't smell like death."

Harry had a stupid smile on his face as she walked away. Miranda always took things in stride. To be honest, the thought of working on something with her again made his brain feel fuzzy. He often thought back to how simple things had been when the only evil he knew were the Death Eaters and Voldemort. Now he knew why Mad Eye had gone mad. Without Miranda and the kids, he'd be well on his way to being just the same.

Remy felt better the next morning, focusing on being excited for the rest of her school year. At King's Cross, their parents seemed oddly eager to see them off.

"Where's Grace?" Remy asked when she and James got to their usual place at Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. No less than twenty people turned to stare at her.

"Remy! Don't be such a bitch!" One of her roommates, Esmerelda Bancroft, snapped, pulling her onto the bench as a girl down the table burst into tears and ran out.

Remy held up her hands, "What did I say?" James was just as confused, making another scene as he tried to fold his long limbs into a non-existent space next to Remy.

Esmerelda gave her an odd look, "Isn't your father working the case?"

"What case?" Remy demanded, dread filling her stomach.

Melanie Albright, one of her roommates, touched her arm gently, "Remy, Grace is dead. Her entire family was murdered on a train the first night of Hols. We thought you knew."

Remy shook her head, feeling numb. "No, no I didn't." Grace was dead? Remy remembered seeing Grace that night, she remembered how she had brushed the other girl off. Had she been the last person to see that whole family alive? They'd been alone in the car when she and Albus got off, hadn't they? Couldn't she have done something? Anything other than brush Grace off. The rapid thoughts made her stomach roll, and she lost what was left of her breakfast on her twin and the unfortunate girl pinned next to him.

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Yikes! Thoughts?

Thanks for reading, favoriting, and reviewing!

-Jenn


	6. Chapter 6

Just gonna apologize for the long wait! Red Mirror kinda took over my brain. I'll just say that this chapter has pretty much been planned since way before The Dark Lords' Pawn ended. I just lost the paper I'd written it out on...I found it though, so here's this chapter!

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James picked her up instantly, his long legs carrying them out of the hall, leaving the commotion behind. He carried her to the nearest boy's bathroom snapping, "Beat it," to the poor boy using the urinal. The boy shrieked like a girl and ran from the bathroom, almost forgetting to fasten his trousers. James propped her against the wall in one of the stalls just in case she got sick again.

Making sure she was at least moderately comfortable, he stripped off his vomit stained jacket. "You alright, Rem?"

Several minutes of silence passed, and James stared at his twin who was staring into space. She finally looked up at him, seeming far more fragile than he'd ever seen her, "I saw them. Grace and her family. I saw them on the train."

James winced, "Oh, Rem..."

"I was mean to her!" Remy snapped, "She tried to talk to me and I shoved her off like I'm something special. And now she's dead!" She clutched at her hair, pulling so tightly he thought she might pull chunks of it out.

"Remy, stop that. You couldn't have known what would happen to her. I'm sure it was just a freak thing. You're not to blame for it." He said, trying to calm her.

She groaned, giving another tug to her hair. "I could have helped them! I could have done something!"

"You didn't know!" He snapped, grasping her forearms.

She stilled, looking into his face, her eyes wide and maniacal, "You're right. I didn't know. How could we not have known? Our parent's didn't tell us. Everyone else knew. Why didn't they tell us?"

James was at a loss, but was saved from having to supply an answer when the door burst open. "Has this whole bloody family gone nutters?" Lily was standing in the door way, holding onto a struggling Albus. James' mouth went dry. Fighting Lily's hold and screaming nonsense, Albus was covered in blood.

Upon seeing her little brother, Remy was snapped out of her state, "What happened?" She demanded, untangling her hands from her hair. She stood, and swayed, relying on James to catch her before she lost her balance completely.

James gripped her arm to keep her steady as they walked towards their younger siblings. People were grouping behind Lily and she turned to glare at them, "Sod off! We aren't a freak show!" No one moved. "I said sod off!" Her tone was cutting, almost terrifying even to James, and it worked wonders on the accumulated crowd. They scattered like ants.

As soon as they were in reach, Albus lunged at Remy and James. Although a thin, wiry boy, he proved his strength, his fingers digging into the material of their sweaters as he wailed inches from their faces, "We have to go!"

"Where, Al?" James asked, trying to pry off his death grip.

For the first time in his life, Albus made eye contact with his sibling, "The Ministry." His voice was soft, reverent. He let them go. In an instant, the clarity was gone from Albus face, and he started clawing at his own arms, drawing rivulets of blood, mumbling the same phrase over and over again. "Got to go!"

Lily threw her hands up, "After Remy rediscovered her breakfast, he started screaming bloody murder. By the time I got to him, he'd already clawed up his arms."

Albus suddenly stopped screaming. The other three Potter children watched him closely, but James was too far away to catch him when he started out the door, "Albus!" James yelled, sprinting after him.

The girls followed, Lily kicking off her high heeled shoes in order to keep up. Albus didn't stop until he reached the Fat Lady's portrait. "Oh, my!" She exclaimed, "What in the heavens is the matter?"

Albus held his head, but seemed more lucid, "We need our brooms. We have to go."

Remy approached Albus carefully, nodding at James to go get their brooms from their rooms. "Albus, are you alright."

"No." He sobbed, hanging his head, "The voices won't stop screaming."

Lily took a step back, a look of horror cemented on her face, "Voices? He's weird, but he's not that crazy. What's going on?"

Albus sagged against the stone wall, "My head is pounding. It hurts. We have to get to them."

"Who's them?" Remy asked.

"I don't know." He admitted quietly, his hands shaking into the familiar rhythm of potion making. "I just know they're at the Ministry."

"I was already going to go there, you know." Remy said tenderly, taking his right arm gently in her hands. He'd made a mess of it, bloody gouges displaying more blood than skin. She took her wand out of her robe, only to be stopped by Lily.

"You'd be likely to blow his arms off. Let me." Even though she was the youngest, Lily had a knack for healing charms, and had Albus' flesh knitting back together in seconds.

James came down the stairs, four brooms in his hands, "Let me just say how hard it was to get up to you girls' room. Not bloody likely I'll try that again." He handed each of his sister's a broom but paused before giving one to Albus, "Uh, think he can handle this?"

Remy rolled her eyes, snatching the broom from James and thrusting it into Albus' hands, "James, we all know he's just as good at flying as the rest of us."

James shrugged, "True!" Standing tall, he led the way to one of the courtyards where they could kick off from.

"Just where do you bunch think you are going?" A shiver went down three of the four young Potter spines.

Albus however, turned around and gave an awkward wave, looking at the hem of a pitch black robe, "Hello, Professor Snape. We're just going on a short ride."

Snape sneered at them, "You all missed lunch. Remy, I trust you're feeling better? You upset quite a few of your House mates."

"I'm feeling loads better, thanks." Remy muttered.

"I thought a quick ride would make us all feel better." Albus offered, smiling vaguely in the direction of his favorite professor.

Severus eyed his star student cautiously, but knew the boy couldn't tell a lie. "Be back before curfew, or I see a very nasty bunch of detentions in your futures."

"We'll be there." Albus chirped, allowing his long legs to carry him toward the courtyard.

James looked at his sisters as the followed Albus, "Did we know he could lie?"

Lily smirked, "Aww, what a pity, James. You might not be the wiliest Potter after all!" Remy nodded in agreement as she mounted her broom.

Albus glared in their direction, "We need to go."

"Chill, mate." James drawled, trying to keep things light.

With James in the lead, they flew through the thick clouds towards London. Of the four, Lily was slowest, too cautious in her handling of the broom. James, on the other hand, behaved as if he'd been born riding a broom. There was no trick too dangerous or daring for him to execute. Remy was just focused on ignoring the headache blossoming in between her eyes. They landed just outside London, and the other three relied on Remy to guide them through the muggle city.

Blue eyes watched as they maneuvered through the town, following their every move.

They took the guest entrance, and James charmed the young receptionist into letting them 'surprise' their parents. They were familiar faces around the Ministry, so when Albus started off in a direction on his own, they had to brush off quite a few people wanting to chat.

The deeper they went into the Ministry, the more Remy's head hurt. When the elevator chimed, "Department of Mysteries", she stilled.

"We shouldn't be here." Remy said, stating the obvious.

Lily sneered, "Really, Remy, what was your first clue?"

As soon as the doors opened, Albus busted forward, running down the hall ways. James snagged his arm, "Shh, Al. Listen."

All four Potter children stilled, and they heard the voice of their mother, "Thank you, Kingsley. You have no idea how good it feels to finally have my wand back."

"You've proved yourself, Miranda. I would have given it back years ago if it had been my choice alone." The booming voice of the Minister of Magic made Lily cringe.

"We should leave." She said, edging backwards.

Albus jerked free of his brother's hold, running towards a door at the end of one of the long hallways. "Damn it, Albus!" James cursed, running after, his sisters close behind.

The instant they were all in the hallway front of the door, something happened. It was obvious that a very strong locking charm had been placed on the door, but when Albus pressed his palm against the center of the door, a shower of sparks bursted from it, the charm literally self destructing. Not shocked still like his siblings, Albus tried the knob, smiling at himself when it opened without an issue. He stepped inside without fear, the voices finally calming, their shrill pleas no longer echoing through his brain.

James and Remy felt their jaws go slack, and James looked at his twin, "Do you remember it too?"

Remy nodded, staring into the room, past her younger brother. "I always thought it was a dream. I can hear them."

"Me too." James said, taking his twin's hand. He stepped inside, drawing her with him.

Lily stood at the mouth of the hallway, wondering if all of her siblings had gone completely crazy when she heard her mother's voice again, "Lily? Is that you?" Panicking, Lily rushed down the hall towards her siblings, not sparing a look back. As soon as she stepped over the threshold, the heavy door slammed shut behind her, leaving only a flash of her red hair visible to her stunned parents. "Lily!" Miranda screamed, running to the closed door. Harry tugged on the knob, now firmly relocked.

"What just happened?" Miranda said softly, her mind trying to comprehend what she had just seen.

"I'd have to take a guess and say our dear children aren't at Hogwarts anymore." Harry joked, blasting the door with a spell a second later that sent him flying back several feet.

Inside the door, time seemed still. Remy and James made a wide circle around the central object, "They're in pain." James said, still clutching his twin's hand.

"We need to help them." Remy said, feeling far too calm for the situation.

"How?" Lily asked, having stepped farther into the chamber to stand a few feet to Albus' right. He held his hand out to James, not looking at him, his eyes fixed on the object in front of him. James and Remy joined them, filling the space between the two younger Potter's, Remy sliding her hand into her little sister's, the four making a rigid line in front of the Veil.

There was a loud noise behind them, their father attempting to break down the door again, but they didn't respond. In that moment, only five things existed in the world, the four of them, and the massive Veil. Tempted by the swirling smoke, Lily reached her free hand out towards it. A fissure went through the room when her hand entered the smoke. "I feel something." She said in amazement, not noticing the magic that was being drawn from her. Further extending her hand, she felt her fingers find purchase on some sort of fabric. She grasped the fabric into her invisible fist. "Help me." She whispered. Albus brought his free hand to where Remy and Lily's were clasped together, completing the circle. With a cumulative tug, they brought the fabric from beyond the Veil.

The fabric was attached to a rather tall figure that came stumbling out of the Veil, crashing into the group of teenagers. The four flew back several feet, knocked unconscious by the sudden output of magic, creating a morbid star of bodies at the foot of the Veil of Death. In the same instant, the door finally gave, admitting into the Death Chamber Harry and Miranda Potter.

Miranda screamed, and they ran to their children. Reaching them first, Miranda fell to her knees next to her girls before her eyes found the fifth body. "Harry." She whispered.

Harry looked up from the unconscious boys, and saw the body Miranda's eyes were focused on. He held his wand in front of him as he approached the fifth body. Using his foot, he rolled the figure over, his heart jumping into his throat when he saw the face of the man who had come forth from the Veil.

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Anyone want to guess who the man is? Please leave a review!

-Jenn


	7. Chapter 7

Once again, sorry for the dreadful wait, but this chapter is a little longer than usual to compensate. Three of my reviewers guessed right, but I'll let you all find out in just a moment!

Enjoy!

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Harry whispered a spell, slamming the chamber door closed. His heart pounding furiously, he checked the figure for a pulse. Finding one, he let out a choked laugh. "Merlin's beard."

Remy had crawled to his side, leaning against him in exhaustion, "Is that...?"

"Yes!" Harry laughed, kissing the top of her head.

Half carrying Albus, Miranda joined them, reaching a hand out to touch the head of dark hair, "Sirius."

Lily and James stirred, joining the circle of Potters before leaning against each other, exhausted. Lily looked at their parent's, eyes wide, "What did we do?"

"I don't know, Lily, I really don't." Harry answered honestly.

"Lily?" Sirius mumbled, his eyes fluttering open. He could make out a face framed by vivid red hair just next to him and he reached out a hand, a sort of dazed smile on his face, "Lily."

Unsure of what to do, Lily took his proffered hand, holding it in between her own. "Yes, I'm Lily."

When Sirius vision cleared, he stared at the young woman holding his hand. It wasn't right. The eyes were the same, the startling green, her face no less lovely, but her features weren't like Lily's had been, "You're not Lily Potter." He wheezed out, wondering why he hurt all over.

She looked frightened by him, but another face appeared in his line of sight, "Actually, Sirius, she is Lily Potter. She's my daughter."

"Harry?" Sirius gasped.

The dark haired man above him nodded, a smile blooming across his face, tears welling in the familiar green eyes, "Yeah, it's me."

He looked back at the girl, she did favor Harry, "You're daughter? What in Merlin's name happened?"

Harry laughed a little, "You fell into the Veil fighting Bellatrix. Do you remember?"

Sirius nodded slowly, "Yeah, I do. How am I here? I thought that Veil was the end."

Harry looked at his weary children, Lily still holding Sirius' hand. "I thought it was the end too. They did it." Harry gestured to his sides and Sirius pushed himself up onto his elbows.

"Bloody hell, Harry. You have four of them?" Sirius said with a husky laugh, looking at the other three children. All dark haired, the girl and the younger boy both had hazel eyes, the older male looking just like James had. They didn't look like Weasleys, and the beautiful woman with them wasn't Ginny, "What happened to the Weasley girl?"

The dark haired woman laughed, "She's married to my brother now." She edged closer and held out a hand. "I'm Miranda, Harry's wife."

When Sirius went to take her hand, he realized that to do so, he'd have to take it out of Lily's hand. He did so unwillingly, the heat from her hand had been very comforting. When he took Miranda's hand though, he discovered that it was a trait she got from her mother, "Harry, she's lovely."

Harry nodded in agreement and in the way he looked at Miranda, Sirius could tell they were madly in love. "Thank you, Sirius. That means a lot." Harry said, "She's the greatest thing to ever happen to me."

"They're certainly love-y enough!" The older girl quipped, leaning into Harry's side.

Harry laughed, "That would be our lovely Remy Elizabeth."

"Remy?" Sirius said. "After Remus?"

Harry pushed his glasses up on his face, looking forlorn, "He's missing, Sirius, has been for nearly twenty years."

"Hardly, Da. Rem and I are only eighteen!" James laughed, nudging a foot at his father.

Harry glared at his son, "That's James Evan. He does his best to be a Marauder."

James scoffed, "Da, I am a Marauder. You're just jealous."

"Oh yeah, James, Da is so jealous of you, a gawky, loudmouth teenager." Lily sneered, her eyes flitting to her mother when she realized how mean she'd been, "Sorry."

Miranda sighed, wanting to say something, but she just smiled at Sirius, "What can I say? She probably gets the temper from Harry."

"What?" Harry cried, looking at his wife in mock anger, "I don't have a temper!" She stuck her tongue out at him and he rolled his eyes, "Real mature in front of the children, Randa, real mature."

Sirius snorted, "She's beautiful and funny. Quite a catch." He peered at the younger boy, "Now who is this? Awfully quiet."

Miranda carded a hand through Albus' black hair, taking a deep breath, "This would be our Albus Severus."

"Severus?" Sirius snapped, "Why Severus?"

Harry sighed, "He wasn't bad, Sirius. We didn't really know that until he was almost killed during the Final Battle, but he was always loyal to Dumbledore. Only we all figured it out later than anyone would have liked."

Remy suddenly sat up fully, "Oh! That reminds me!" She peered at her little brother, "Someone lied to Uncle Sev!" Both of their parents gawked at Albus and Remy giggled. She looked at Sirius, "Albus is a little special and until today, we thought he was completely incapable of telling a lie. He's good though."

James joined her laughter, "I thought we were gonnars when Snape walked up and then Al's all like 'Hello, Professor, we're just going on a quick ride, care to join?' I almost fainted I was so shocked."

"Certainly not my Albus." Miranda said vainly, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Before she kissed the top of his head, "I'm proud of you, Albus." His head jerked up a little in surprise, so she soothed him, "That means your not as socially unaware as that blasted muggle doctor thinks you are." She looked positively mutinous, "'Bout bloody time. I can finally tell him where to shove his..."

"Randa." Harry chided, although his expression remained amused.

Sirius took in the look on Harry's wife's face, "Good job, Harry, she's beautiful and dangerous."

Miranda looked to the door, "We should leave. Kingsley is probably having an attack."

Harry chuckled, helping her stand in her very intimidating heels that were highly impractical in her current situation. "He's probably way past an attack." He looked seriously at his newly recovered uncle, and then to his children, "One of you wouldn't happen to have my Invisibility cloak with you, would you?"

It was Albus that pulled the material sheepishly from his pack, "I like to read in the library at night. Rem comes too sometimes."

Remy's eyes widened, "Thanks, Al!"

Miranda shrugged, "Not my House points." Harry cleared his throat, "But, your father would be very unhappy if you two were to make Gryffindor lose the House Cup this year. We all remember how he got when Teddy's prank cost them the Cup last year."

"Teddy?" Sirius asked as Harry shook out the rumpled cloak.

"Teddy Lupin, Remus' son with Tonks. We adopted him after Remus went missing." Miranda explained, straightening Lily's shirt tie.

Sirius didn't ask farther, and spent their tense exit under the cloak trying to figure out who his old friend had been sleeping with to have a kid. It 'twas a mystery to him. They went back to Grimmauld Place much to his dismay. On the porch he glared at Harry, "Really? Just because I left you the house doesn't mean you actually had to live in it."

Miranda laughed and pushed Harry aside, clicking the key easily in the lock, "I think you'll find it's changed a lot." It had. All the cobwebs were gone, and for a house with only one wall available for windows, it was bright and welcoming. "I undid some of the redecorating your mother did. This is how it was when I was young."

Sirius eyed the dark haired young woman, "You look pretty young to me."

She laughed, "Sirius, I was ninety on New Years Day. We're alike, we've both spent time in suspended animation." She beamed at Harry before grabbing him into a kiss, "Luckily, Harry here doesn't mind that he's married to an old hag."

"Love, you may be old, but you are certainly not a hag." Harry assured her.

James sidled up next to Sirius, whispering, "Now you see why there's so blasted many of us. We all know that after finding out how much of a trip Lily is, Mum went on muggle contraceptives."

"James!" Miranda scolded.

"True to your namesake, aren't you, boy?" Sirius commented.

James laughed heartily, "I do try."

They settled down into the front living room and Harry set about filling Harry in on the end of the war. Miranda was setting a tray of tea on the living room table when the front door flew open with a bang, "Mum! Da! What's going on? Marjory said the kids were at the Ministry this afternoon. Shouldn't they be at Hogwarts already?"

Miranda dodged out into the foyer and grabbed up her oldest son. He was flustered, face flushed, his hair and eye color changing with every blink. "Calm down." Miranda urged throwing a blanket around his shoulders, "Where's your coat, silly boy?"

"Why are they here?" He asked, looking at his four younger adopted siblings closely. None of them appeared to be harmed in any way, and his mother didn't seem upset, so it was a fair guess that no one had died.

Sirius eyed the newcomer. He didn't look like Harry. He cocked a grin, "They decided to play hooky with their Uncle Sirius."

Teddy stared at him, and looked slowly at his mother, "Is that really...?" He let the question die out.

Harry nodded, "Yeah, they had a hand in whatever happened, but Sirius is back."

"Who's this one?" Sirius asked curtly.

The young man's hair turned black and his eyes settled into a greenish-hazel. With those features, he blended in with the rest of the children. Harry slapped a hand on Teddy's shoulder. "Sirius, this is Teddy."

Sirius gasped when the young man's features changed again, "You do look like Remus."

Teddy recovered himself, holding out a hand. "Yes, sir. I'm the son of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. My mother was killed, and my father went off and left me."

Miranda winced. It was no secret within the family that Teddy hated his father, but it was always a jolt to hear him say it like that. Harry hated that Teddy felt that way, but he was fastidious like his father. Teddy had long ago made up his mind about Remus, and nothing they said seemed to change his opinion.

Harry steered Teddy fully into the room, and Teddy sat down heavily on the sofa next to Remy. She took his hand, putting her head on his shoulder. Harry continued his retelling of events, but when he finished, Sirius stared, "You married the Dark Lord's sister?"

Miranda sighed, "Voldemort was not my brother, Tom is. They aren't the same person, Sirius. Tom's married to Ginny now, and they've got a boy named Jeremy who does his best to be just like his Uncles Fred and George."

"I'm better at it." James said confidently.

Miranda rolled her eyes and checked the time, "James, Remy, Albus, Lily, I think it's time for you three to get to bed. Hopefully you've got pajamas here still. Your father and I will take you back to school in the morning."

James stood, scooping up a sleeping Lily. The red headed Potter roused slightly, blinking up at her brother, but closed her eyes, exhausted, feeling like a child in her big brother's arms. James smiled at her, "Sleep, Lil, James'll tuck you into bed." He jerked his chin to Albus, "Al, let's go. That brain of yours could use some rest." James stopped in front of their mother so she could kiss Lily goodnight, grumbling when she took the opportunity to press a kiss to his forehead.

With three of the Potter children gone, Harry looked at his oldest girl, "Remy, off to bed."

She shook her head, but said nothing. "Remy." Miranda said exasperatedly, "We're taking you back to Hogwarts in the morning, you'll need your rest."

"I'm not going." Remy said resolutely, setting her jaw.

"What?" Miranda chirped, staring at her daughter like she'd grown an extra head.

Remy cleared her throat, "I'm not going back to school. I can't."

Harry stood up, his eyebrows furrowed together, "Why not?"

"There was an incident." She said blithely.

Sirius chuckled, "A Potter involved incident? Imagine that."

"I threw up on a girl at lunch." Remy stated, ignoring Sirius' comment.

Miranda stepped forward, "Remy, are you ill?"

Remy took a step away from her mother, "You lied to me. You both did."

"What?" Miranda said, aghast, her hands falling to her sides.

"Grace. You didn't tell me she was dead. That her whole family was dead." Remy was shaking in anger, glaring daggers at her father. "I saw them. Albus and I got off the train when they got on. I was the last person to talk to them. The other girls at school, they wondered why I didn't know, you being the Head Auror on the case and all."

Harry sighed, "I couldn't tell you, Remy. How those others found out I don't know. As it is, we still don't know what happened. I'm sorry."

"There are others, aren't there?" Sirius said softly. The four remaining Potters looked at him, "There are other mysterious murders."

Harry nodded slowly, "How did you know?"

Sirius looked haunted, "That's how it started before. People would vanish." He glared at Miranda, "I thought you all got rid of Voldemort."

"We did!" Miranda said defensively, "Harry's scar hasn't hurt since. There's no reason to think it has anything to do with Voldemort."

Sirius stared at Harry, "This has everything to go with him. Families don't just get wiped out without him or something else being involved. Trust me. Twenty years may have passed, but that doesn't mean we're safe. Something's coming, Harry, something evil."

* * *

Oh shit, things are getting real! JK! What do you guys think of my Sirius?

Review please!

-Jenn


	8. Chapter 8

I'm terribly sorry for the delay, but the last two months have been crazy. We had a cancer scare with my mother, and just in the last week found out that there is no cancer! So yay! There's still going to be a time of stress though because she has to have a mass removed from her liver. I'll be taking care of her while she recovers from surgery so I have no idea how that will impact writing time.

Anyway, about the story...this chapter kinda sets the plot rolling, so let me know what you think about where I'm headed!

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Remy's stomach rolled for the second time in one day, and she threw herself towards the bathroom, barely making it before she began heaving again. Her mother was close behind, holding her hair for her and rubbing her back comfortingly, "Remy, what's wrong?"

"I don't know!" She sobbed, angrily flushing the toilet. "I just...I can't handle this now!"

Miranda pulled her daughter into a close embrace, sitting on the cold tile of the bathroom, "This isn't like you, Remy. I'm your mother, please tell me what's going on."

Remy was trembling, "I had a boyfriend."

"I know," Miranda said, a smile forming.

"I ended it with him yesterday."

Miranda winced, "Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

"I had to. He was a muggle. An older muggle."

"How much older?" Miranda asked cautiously.

Remy clenched her fingers around her mother's, "Griffin is twenty four. And American."

The corner of Miranda's mouth twitched up, "American?"

"You're not mad?" Remy asked, blinking several times in astonishment.

Miranda embraced Remy again, "No, love, I'm not mad at all."

"Are we in danger?" Remy asked, her voice small and weary, hazel eyes downcast.

Her mother sighed, tightening her hold, "I'm not sure what's going on, Rem, but I can promise you that your father and I won't let anything happen to you or the others." Miranda inhaled sharply, "We would rather die than let anyone hurt you five."

Remy nestled against her mother's thin frame, "I'm scared."

"I know, love." Miranda whispered.

"Are we camping?" James' gentle voice said from the doorway. He looked exhausted, obviously being effected by Remy's instability. Camping, that's what they'd called it when they kids were young on stormy nights they would all sleep in the giant bathroom.

Miranda smiled a bit, holding out an arm to him. "Why not?" James folded his long limbs to fit between is sister, mother, and the wall, his head resting on Miranda's shoulder.

They stayed that way a long while, just breathing, until Harry came in. "What's wrong?"

Miranda gazed up at her husband, "We'll be alright. Just camping. Want to join us?"

Harry looked conflicted, "Uh...Sirius..."

His wife sighed, kissing her twins on the tops of their heads, "I'll be right back, darlings. I've got to scrounge up some linens for our guest. You know your father is terrible with fitted sheets."

It took a few tries, but with Harry's help from the doorway, Miranda managed to disentangle herself from the twins. "Miranda, what's wrong?" Harry asked her once they were down the hallway.

"They're growing up, Harry, but they're still children. All children need a good cuddle with their mum now and again." Miranda explained, not wanting to add to her husband's guilt.

"Don't feed me that, Miranda." Harry hissed, "What got into Remy? That outburst is not like her at all."

"She's a teenaged girl, Harry." She said lightly.

He grabbed Miranda's arm, "That doesn't explain that much."

Miranda steeled herself for the fight that was about to break out. Sure, she and Harry loved each other more than anything, but they fought with the best of them. "It explains enough, Harry. I'll take Lilly and Albus back to school tomorrow, but I think Remy needs to stay here for a few days longer. James can choose where he wants to be."

"Remy should be in school, Miranda."

"She's afraid!" Miranda blurted, trying to push the anger down.

Harry looked hurt, "She's afraid? Why?"

"After what happened at the Ministry today, I'm honestly surprised all four of them aren't in that loo. They did very powerful magic, and not even their parents were able to tell them how." Miranda said, her voice raising slightly as tears glinted in her hazel eyes.

Harry reached towards her, pulling her into his toned arms, "Don't cry, Randa." He whispered, kissing her shoulder, "I'll keep you all safe. I promise."

"I can't do this again, Harry. I've lived through the darkness twice. I almost lost you and my brother the second time, I can't bear the thought of what I'll lose if all that madness starts again." Miranda sobbed quietly.

Harry clutched her to his chest like his life depended on it. "We can't think like that, Randa. We can't even be sure that there's anything going on. Besides, all five of them are perfectly capable of defending themselves."

Miranda sighed, "They're not prepared for this. They're not like us, Harry. They didn't grow up the way we did. We gave them everything we never had, a safe home, loving parents, friends, a family, we never did get a dog though. Maybe we should get a dog. I might help Lily adjust."

Harry touched her cheek, an indulgent expression on his face, "We're not getting a dog now, not unless you count Sirius. Calm down, love. I'll settle Sirius in if you'll get some sleeping bags for the loo. Think our twins would be opposed to their old man joining?"

She smiled, kissing his cheek, "No, not at all. They love their Da."

They went to the linen closet hand in hand before going their separate ways with linens. When Miranda got back to the bathroom it was to find a pile of gangly teenagers, the muscled body of Teddy draped across them, telling a story. "And then I..." He stopped, looking at the door with bright green eyes that flicked to hazel, "Hey, Mum." He chuckled bashfully.

"Hello, Teddy. Aren't you a little old for camping?" She teased good-naturedly.

Teddy pouts a little, grabbing a blanket from the bottom of the stack and wrapping it around himself, "Mum, one can never be too old to go camping."

Miranda gave a blanket to the other four and they all settled in. Albus, true to his record, stuck himself in the corner, draping the blanket over his head like a tent. Remy stuck close to her mother, face still pale, and James tucked himself in next to her. Lily took the spot on Miranda's other side, and Teddy sat against the wall a few feet from Albus, weaving his long legs amongst the others. Once they were all a satisfied jumble of limbs, Miranda sang a little, her voice soothing them like they were all ten years younger.

After a while, Harry joined them, sitting across from Miranda next to Albus. Drifting to sleep, Remy felt strange, like she was being put to sleep against her will. Her body felt heavy and weightless all at the same time. Dread filled her as her eyes shuttered closed for the last time.

* * *

When the Potters woke up, the world seemed much calmer. "Alright, you three. Let's get you back to school." Miranda chirped brightly, disentangling herself from her four children.

James laughed, "Shouldn't Teddy be at work?"

Teddy tackled his adoptive brother, "I've got the day off, thank you!" He cried before apperating away, probably to go snog Victorie.

Miranda got them all set, glad there weren't as many bags as they'd had the day before. James apperated away first, with Harry waiting on the sidewalk for the two other. Kissing Lily's forehead on the porch, Miranda spoke gently, "You'll be alright, Lily. Your brothers will look after you."

"Albus is autistic, Mum." Lily countered.

Miranda shook her head, "You're his baby sister, Lily, trust me, he wouldn't let anything happen to his only sister. Neither will James."

Lily smiled, "I know." She bounded down the steps and took her father's hand.

Miranda waved until the disapeared. "Be safe, my darlings." She whispered into the wind with a bitter smile.

Just before she reentered the house, movement across the street caught her eye. There was a young girl dressed in a white shirt and dark skirt standing in an upstairs window. Miranda could have been certain that the house had been empty for months, but there the girl stood. With pale skin and long dark hair, the teenager looked ghostly, and seemed to be staring right at her with piercing eyes.

Miranda shivered in the path of a sudden gust of cold air, looking away from the beautiful girl in the window and going inside Number Twelve Grimmauld Place to start her day.

* * *

Remy's head was pounding when she woke up. "Good morning, Princess." Said a silky voice. She squinted at the brightly lit room, seeking out the owner of the voice.

The older blond man in front of her looked familiar, "Who are you?" She asked after seeking her wand out and not finding it.

He smiled, "It doesn't matter, Princess. What matters is that you're here with us." Remy started to ask where she was, but he shushed her, "No time for questions, Princess, there's someone you need to meet." He held out a hand to help her up. She took it, not feeling quite right, but not willing to disobey. He jerked her close to him, running a hand down her arm, "You are beautiful, Princess. Are you going to be a good girl? Are you going to do exactly as we say?"

"We?" She echoed.

He slapped her hard across her face. "Answer my question pretty girl. Are you going to do as we say?"

Fear wracked her body, but she stuttered an answer, "Y-yes!"

He stroked her cheek, "Good girl, you're a fast learner, that will make things so much easier. Here are the rules, Princess: You do as you're told, you do not speak unless spoken to, and you do not try to escape. I can't be held responsible for what might happen should you break any of our rules. All I can say is that any trespasses will be dealt with harshly." He smiled at her, "Is that clear, Princess?"

"Yes." Remy answered hollowly.

"Perfect! We'll just be on our way now. Someone is very excited to meet you." He led her down a long hallway, and into a room with a silver door, harshly gripping her arm the whole time.

As the door closed behind them a voice rang out. "Lucius, don't hurt the girl, she's our guest." Lucius' grip on her arm loosened, "Leave us."

"Where am I?" Remy whispered to herself, looking around the room for any sign of the disembodied voice.

"You're still at Grimmauld Place, Sweet One." The voice answered, and a curtain across the room opened.

Cautiously, Remy approached the window, gasping at what she saw below. Her mother was on the porch of Number 12, hugging James, Albus, and Lily tightly. James apperated on his own, but Albus and Lily each took one of their father's hands before disappearing. "They left without me." Remy said hollowly, her stomach feeling like lead. Something wasn't right.

"They don't even know you exist." The voice said calmly.

"I'm their daughter, of course they know me!" Remy cried.

An eerie laugh filled the air, "No you're not, Sweet One. You're mine. Precious Miranda may have birthed you, but you were never hers, you were never the Potter boy's either. He wrought only a son on Miranda, I wrought a daughter."

"That's not true!" She yelled.

"Of course it is! You've never felt quite right, true? There's always been a part of you that's known what the darkness in your mind was. Accept it."

"No!" Remy ran to the door, jerking on the gold handles.

"Calm yourself Sweet One." The voice urged. "You've returned to that which wrought you. This is a joyous occasion! Gellert taught me that love is a weakness, but Tom and Miranda taught me that family gives you strength. As a back up to my back up plan, when I stabbed Precious Miranda with that knife, I created you." The voice chuckled. "James would have been much stronger on his own, but you leeched magic from him to compensate for the lack of tine spent in a mother's womb."

"I don't believe you."

"You should."

"How can I believe someone when I can't even see them? My father killed Voldemort. You can't be him." Remy countered calmly, trying to keep herself from freaking out again.

"Come to the mirror, and we shall both see who is right and who is wrong." The voice said. She obeyed, striding across the room to a large gold mirror she had failed to notice on her first inspection of the room.

The face in the mirror was her own. "What is this? Some sort of sick joke?"

"On the contrary, Sweet One." Something cold wrapped around her wrist. "Now you no longer exist at all."

Remy's perspective suddenly shifted and instead of looking into the mirror, she found herself looking out of it. The girl on the other side of the glass sneered, and, with a wave, said, in her own voice, "Goodbye, Remy Potter."

The glass shattered.

* * *

What do you think? Let me know!

-Jenn


	9. Chapter 9

Once again, sorry for the delay, but my mother had surgery and I had to take care of her over my winter break. The last two weeks have been spent getting back into the swing of things at school, and writing on all of my stories! So, I give you chapter 9!

* * *

It had been six months since Remy had broken their relationship off, he really should have been over her, but she still consumed his mind. His mother was beside herself wanting to ease his pain, but she wouldn't let him leave London to go home.

"Griffin, she was a child. Even she agreed with me. You can't keep on like this." His mother groused.

Griffin glared at her and took another swig of whiskey. "I really wouldn't bring yourself into this, Mom."

"I'm your mother, and I'm worried about you." Greta said, sitting next to him on the sofa. "There are other girls."

"No one like her." He said, downing what was left in the bottle.

He reached for another bottle from his Aunt Cecily's cabinet, but Greta slammed it shut, "Why are you drinking like this? I don't understand! You weren't even like this when you came back from that awful war."

Griffin moved his mother out of his way, "I have to keep drinking. It's the only way."

Greta screeched, "Only way to what? Kill yourself?"

Griffin looked strangely vulnerable, "It's the only way to keep her voice out of my head."

One of Greta's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh, Griffin."

"You think I'm crazy, now don't you? Trust me, I'm already thinking that myself." He said, drawing his eyes away from his mother.

"No, Griffin, I don't think you're crazy." She touched his shoulder gently, "I'll just go talk to your Aunt Cecily and we'll figure this out."

She went into the kitchen, and like Remy had six months before, Griffin stood just out of sight, wanting fair warning if his mother was going to have him hauled off. "Cecily, we need to talk."

Cecily snorted, "Yes, we do. Your boy has nearly emptied my muggle liquor cabinet. If he keeps going at this rate, we'll both outlive him."

"He says he's doing it to muffle the girl's voice in his head." Greta hissed.

Cecily put down the glass of pumpkin juice she was about to sip from, "What is she saying?"

"I don't know." Greta grumbled. "I didn't ask. This is exactly why I didn't want him around those kinds of people. You knew that, and you had to have known who she was."

"Of course I did. The Potter's are front page types. She's a lovely girl, good humored too, her parents did a very nice job raising her." Griffin heard his mother scoff, "Oh stop that, Greta. You never saw them together, so don't judge. There was a bond there the likes of which I've never laid eyes on. You were foolish to warn him away from her." Cecily picked up the morning's paper, "He'd need her protection now, the Dark Times are coming again."

Greta sighed, "Cecily, please don't talk in riddles."

"I'm not, Cecily. That girl comes from two very powerful lines of witches and wizards, and it's very possible that she put a spell on Griffin. However, it's my opinion that one doesn't cast a love spell only to break up with the one they cast it on." Cecily sipped from her cup, "She could very well be in danger, and her soul is trying to reach out to him."

That was all Griffin needed to hear. He grabbed the bag she had left that day along with his own army issue backpack before running out the door.

Cecily giggled when the door slammed shut, "Your boy is growing up, Greta. It's about bloody well time too. It was cruel to keep him in the dark for so long."

Greta snarled at her sister, "I was trying to protect him."

"Fine job you did of that, Greta. He's miserable. You've been letting your son drown in his own self doubts for years. I've done my best to help him while still abiding by your silly little rules." Cecily said sternly, "I haven't left this house in decades, but I'd do it for your boy if he asked me to."

Greta leaned against the bar. "What do I do?"

"You let nature run it's course."

Across London, Griffin was running down streets like a madman. "Grimmauld Place, who names a street Grimmauld Place? That's just stupid."

It took him a while, but he found the street Remy had always referenced when she said she was going home. He didn't even need to know what number the house was because her mother was right out front. "Hey!" He yelled to get the lovely dark haired woman's attention.

Miranda Potter paused on the front steps of Number Twelve, trying to decide if she should stop or not. In the last six months, things had gotten very tense. Harry had been on her about getting out of the house as much as she had been. He would probably be furious if she stopped at the male voice, but she didn't really care. He had been far too over protective of her, despite the fact that she was probably the most dangerous witch alive.

"Can I help you?" She asked, turning towards the voice. A young blond man was standing nervously looking up at her. He was handsome, but looked weary. That wasn't an unusual look to her these days, with the increasing rate of wizarding murders, everyone was on edge.

"I'm looking for your daughter!" Griffin said from the bottom of the steps, trying to catch his breath.

"Lily?"

"No, her sister, Remy." Griffin said, not liking the look on the woman's face.

Miranda laughed, "Young man, I don't know who you are, but I only have one daughter."

He looked at her oddly. "So you don't have a daughter named Remy?"

Miranda shook her head, "No, I don't. That's an odd name, isn't it?"

Griffin nodded absentmindedly, "She's named after an uncle or something like that."

"Is she alright?" Miranda asked the obviously distraught young man.

"I don't know." He admitted brokenly, "I haven't seen her since January. I've been worried half to death. Maybe you might at least know her."

"I don't think I'd forget meeting a girl named Remy, but yes, it's possible I've seen her around here before. What does she look like?" Miranda probed, hoping to help ease the boy's stress.

Griffin gave her a grateful smile, "Remy's eighteen, long dark hair, lovely pale skin, she's just finished her last year of boarding school, hazel eyes." He sighed, looking up at Miranda with pleading eyes, "Did any of that ring a bell?"

"I can't say it did." Miranda said apologetically.

Remembering Remy's bag of things, Griffin dug through his own bag for it. Hidden under a satchel of make up was a thin strip of photo paper. "Here, that's a picture of us. We took it about six months ago at a photo booth near Piccadilly Circus."

She took the paper from his hands and looked at the young couple depicted. It was a muggle photograph so both subjects were still, but something about the girl struck Miranda as familiar. There was a certain glint visible in her eyes that gave the witch pause. Miranda Potter's eyes drifted to the house across the street, suddenly remembering the girl she kept seeing standing in the window. "I have seen this girl."

Griffin sagged in relief, "Thank God. Where?"

Miranda extended one thin hand, "That house right across the street, Number 13. I've seen her in the window."

"Thank you!" Griffin yelled as he ran across the street to the other house. "Remy!" He called on the porch. No one answered and the door wasn't latched. Against his better judgment, he entered.

The house was dark and cold. Nothing indicated that anyone had been there in months.

"You shouldn't have come here."

Griffin spun around to face the voice. It was Remy. He rushed towards her, "Rem!"

She took a step out of his reach, her face unreadable, "Why did you come here?"

"I had to see you again. I can't stop thinking about you." Griffin explained, not understanding her hesitation.

"You need to leave." She said, taking another step back.

"Are you okay?" He asked, finally looking at her fully. Remy was pale, much paler than she'd ever been before, and even her clothes looked muted in color.

"Griffin, leave. You can't be here. Please, leave." She begged him.

He lunged forward so fast she didn't have time to warn him, and she cried out as he ran right through her. Griffin stumbled into the wall behind her, and turned to face her with a look of horror on his face, "What the hell?"

Remy was trembling, her fingers clawing at her mouth as she cried, "You should have left! Why didn't you leave?"

Griffin was running through a thousand different possibilities in his head, but only one seemed right. "My mother and aunt, they were talking about witches and wizards. Did something go wrong with a... spell or something?"

Remy stopped crying and stared at him, "No, Griffin. I'm a ghost. I'm dead." She told him about her parents, the first war, Hogwarts, her kidnapping and then the mirror, and he hardly blinked, taking in every word. Suddenly so many things in his life made sense.

"Why does your mother not remember you?" He questioned. There was no doubt that the hazel eyed woman he had just spoken to wasn't Remy's mother. For one, they had the same eyes, and secondly, the woman held herself the same way Remy did, regally, but at the same time, unassuming and wary.

Remy groaned, "Griffin there are bad people in my world. The person that killed me took over my body. It's honestly best that a spell made everyone forget me."

"Why would you say that?" Griffin barked.

"Because, Griffin, my parents are two of the best defensive figures my world has. If they aren't already, they will be tracing down the creature in my body to kill it. If they knew that body belonged to their daughter, they'd never be able to do it." She told him softly.

After several minutes, Griffin spoke again. "There has to be a way to fix this."

"I'm dead, Griffin, and even in the magical world, there's no way to bring back the dead." Remy snapped.

He shook his head, "Hear me out, and keep in mind that I know almost nothing. You said that first you were outside the mirror and then you were inside. That sounds like your soul just switched spots with...Vol-di-mort. What if I could fix the mirror?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at him, "Griffin, it has to be in a hundred thousand pieces. You'd never be able to put it together unless you used magic."

"Exactly." He said, a wry smile on his face, "Someone with magic needs to fix the mirror. Someone like your mother."

Griffin was out the door in an instant, Remy screaming at him to stop. He didn't listen, he was too bullheaded to listen, but he managed to calm himself before knocking on the door of Number Twelve. Remy's mother answered the door, "Oh, hello. Did you find your friend?"

He shook his head, "No, but I was wondering what you could tell me about magic." Miranda went to close the door, but Griffin stopped it with his foot, "Please, I want to know about this." He had shouldered the left sleeve of his leather jacket off and had pulled up the sleeve of his gray shirt. Just above the tattoo he'd gotten in honor of his unit, a strange mark rested on the skin of his upper arm.

Miranda's eye shot to his face, "Peculiar birthmark."

"I don't think it's a birthmark at all." Griffin said, letting his arm hang at his side.

She nodded, opening the door wider, "I think it's best you come inside. We have a lot to talk about, young man. My name's Miranda Potter."

"I'm Griffin Aldrich."

"The American." Miranda quipped, shutting the door behind him. "So tell me more about yourself."

He smirked, "Like my birthmark?"

"Exactly. Can you remember how long it's been there?" She asked, checking the hallway inconspicuously to make sure Dobby wasn't scampering around.

Griffin shrugged, sitting in the chair Miranda had gestured to, "I can't remember not having it. My mother always told me I'd burned myself as a toddler. When I got into high school, I asked about getting it covered up or put a tattoo over it. My mother wouldn't even let me entertain the idea. She was always strange about it."

"Your mother knows something about this." Miranda inferred as she kneeled next to him, reaching out her hand to his arm, "May I?"

"Yeah," He said, holding out his arm for her further inspection. "So you're a witch?"

"Yes." She said, deciding it best not to lie to him while she was trying to withhold her excitement at seeing such an old spell. "Have you ever done something strange, something that shouldn't have been possible?"

"You mean besides being the only member of my army unit to survive an IED, no, not that I can remember." He said, wincing when she pressed down on the mark.

"Invisibility, that's what this means." She said, tracing the near perfect triangle scarred into his skin. "And this is a sign meaning that your power is locked."

"What power?" Griffin asked, although he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"Your magic, Griffin. You're a wizard, and someone went to great lengths to make sure that your magic never developed." Miranda said, sitting back on her heels.

"Randa? Who's this?" A voice said. Griffin looked up to see a man standing in the doorway from what appeared to be the kitchen.

Miranda stood, "Griffin, this is my husband Harry. Harry, this is Griffin, he's been bound."

"Bound?" Harry asked.

"Someone bound his magic, Harry. He came looking for help, and I'm going to give it to him." Miranda said definitively, and it was very obvious where Remy had gotten her stubborn streak from.

Harry stuttered, "What?" He stared at his wife, "You're going to help him? Without even asking me about it?"

Miranda looked bored, "Yes, Harry. I know you're worried about everything, but he's not a threat. Do you think I would have let him in the house if he was?"

"Well, no." Harry said, staring at his wife, "How did he find you anyway?"

"My friend Remy told me all about you two. I don't know much, but she said that heroes lived on Grimmauld Place. When I couldn't find her, I came here." Griffin explained.

Miranda took his arm again, "Do you want me to destroy the spell?"

Griffin stared at her, "Can you do something like that without killing me?"

"Of course!" She chortled before wincing, "Well, it would probably be better to call my brother-in-law Bill to take care of it. These things can be tricky, but he'll have no trouble."

"When can we see...Bill?" Griffin asked.

Miranda looked at Harry, and they seemed to be having a silent conversation. "We'll head to Shell Cottage with the kids tomorrow. They'll enjoy seeing their cousins and you can get to know some magic-folk who won't go blabbing about you."

"Okay." Griffin mumbled, suddenly remembering his mother. She had to be worried sick.

Miranda noticed his sudden mood shift, "Honey, do you have a place to stay?"

He shook his head, "No, my mother and I had a fight. I don't think I can go back there. Is there a hotel nearby?"

A shadow of a man seemed to appear in the corner of the room, "To answer your question, Miranda, yes, he can stay here. Just don't forget to warn him about the elves. The last thing I want my second day back to be filled with is piss."

"Thank you, Sirius!" Miranda cooed, throwing her arms around the man for a few seconds before spinning and taking Griffin's hands, "Our kids will be home soon, so you can meet them, but then I'll get you settled in a room." She squeaked, "I'm so excited!"

Harry chuckled, "You get way too excited when you find old things. You crazy nymph."

Miranda pouted. "It's rare when I get to be around things that went out of style before you were born." She noticed Griffin's confused gaze, "It's a long story, but we'll have plenty of time to chat over tea." She pat the side of his face with a gentle hand, "You look like you could use it."

* * *

Let me know what you think, please!

-Jenn


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